Shona Cekelis

BA (Psychology / Women's Studies), 2001

After suffering a neck injury, my physician and friends recommended I try yoga to help me on the road to recovery. My opinion was that yoga looked too difficult and I was not flexible enough. Everyone assured me yoga was an easy way to stretch, build strength and relax. They said I should try yoga regardless of my thoughts of it. So I decided to give it a chance.

It turned out my initial fears were correct. I went to different yoga studios that offered beginner yoga and continually fell behind what the rest of the class was doing. I found myself frequently straining my neck mid-pose to see what instructors were talking about (not the best thing for my injury). One studio’s beginner teacher only used Sanskrit terms for poses leaving me feeling completely confused. Frustrated, I contacted the owners of two studios asking if they offered ‘beginning-beginner’ courses. The answer was “no”. However, one studio’s owner suggested I try a community centre and that is how I found Shona’s class.

Not only was Shona’s class slower and gentler, but her precise descriptions meant I did not have to look up to do simple poses. For more difficult poses she modeled the pose before talking us through them. I eventually took her intermediate classes. Intermediate suited me quite well as it went beyond poses to offer meditation techniques that students could try if interested.

So Shona, I am grateful for you making yoga an accessible and interesting practice.